Performance Practice and Frederic Chopin

Frédéric Chopin and Performance Practice

Frédéric Chopin and Performance Practice

“Performance practice is an attempt to return, in as much as this is feasible, to the composer’s original conception of musical work, to re-enact how music sounded at the time of its initial presentation.”- Roland Jackson[1]

Born in 1810, Frédéric Chopin came from two distinct backgrounds; a Polish mother and French father, and the musical influences of these countries would soon come to play a large role in the inspiration he gathered for his music. Known most famously as a composer, musician, and performer, Chopin innovated piano technique in the styles that he explored. There is no doubt that recollections from others of Chopin in perf2ormance represent as closely as possible how the virtuoso played his own music, and that of others; these remarks however, cannot give us an authentic understanding of Chopin in performance, as they are merely secondary accounts and by extension, subjective evidence. Consequently, we are unable to truly perceive how Chopin played without relying solely on the observations made by others, as we naturally lack recordings of Chopin performing due to the limitations of technology during his time. It is because of these challenges in approaching an authentic interpretation of Chopin’s works that the principles of performance practice are very important. Performance practice looks at the conventions associated with a particular style of music, that affect how musical works are presented and interpreted.

The concept behind my investigation and report and my questions in relation to the art of performance practice are; why is it important to Chopin’s music? And how can pianists work to achieve it? As musicians are we supposed to closely acknowledge what composers intended from their music? If so, what role does personal perspective play in performance practice? These questions can be answered by exploring different aspects of Chopin’s...